1. Field of the Invention
Aspects of the present invention relate to communication systems. More particularly, aspects of the present invention relate to controlling throughput on wireless communication systems.
2. Description of Related Art
Wireless transmission systems are used for both data and voice transmissions. While data transmissions are generally immune to minor delays because of network traffic, voice transmissions are not so immune. Quality of service guarantees (QoS) are often provided to voice users to minimize delays. These guarantees often lead to unnecessary regulation of an access point and minimize the number of users who can use the access point at any given time.
A variety of different standards exist for wireless transmission protocols. The IEEE 802.11 standard is the most commonly deployed Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) standard. While 802.11 offers high-speed wireless data access, it is not well suited for isochronous services that require bounded delays such as voice, video, and other interactive applications. In particular, 802.11-configured WLANs exhibit poor voice capacity. This problem stems from limitations in the mandatory medium access control (MAC) protocol used in 802.11 called the Distributed Coordination Function (DCF). The DCF is based on a contention process that mandates that a station must separate consecutive packet transmissions with a deferral period of random duration. This deferral period, while designed to minimize packet collisions and provide fair access to the medium, severely limits the timely delivery of isochronous services. Furthermore, 802.11 networks commonly include an Access Point (AP) that serves as the single point of entry into and out of the WLAN. Despite this increased burden, the AP is afforded no special privileges. This disparity often creates a bottleneck situation at the AP and is a major contributing factor to poor WLAN voice capacity.
An improvement is needed for handling voice transmissions in wireless networks.